


Steep

by hit_the_books



Series: Hannibal shorts [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Fever Dreams, Fluff, Hannibal (TV) Season/Series 01, M/M, Tea, Untrustworthy Tea, Will Doesn't Really Know What's In The Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26128228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hit_the_books/pseuds/hit_the_books
Summary: Will wants to get back to sleep.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Series: Hannibal shorts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897225
Comments: 1
Kudos: 36





	Steep

**Author's Note:**

> First Hannibal anything that I've posted on here (this story first appeared on my Twitter).
> 
> Please be gentle.
> 
> It's taken a recent rewatch of the show for me to finally understand what everyone loves about this show and sees in it.

Sweat beads across Will's body. He is tired but his throat aches. Dawn is just climbing. In his kitchen, he pulls down a metal tea box. Thin walls embossed with sweeping vines, painted in light blues and greens. It may have held cookies once, but now it holds envelopes of tea.

He didn't choose the tea, Hannibal did.

"Help calm that seething storm inside you for a moment. Provide respite," Hannibal had said.

Will sets a kettle on his stove, not quite remembering when he filled it with water. But eventually it starts to bubble and hiss.

From the sea of envelopes, Will draws out one that smells a little of chamomile, but several things he can't place. Or doesn't have the space left in his head to give name to. It smells the least terrible. He pulls down a blue teapot, lid cracked, adds two teaspoons of leaves.

A cup and saucer emerge from the same cupboard as the pot. An off-white plain pair.

Will waits for the kettle to boil, arms wrapped around himself, shivering. He is refusing to think on what he saw in his sleep. Keeps battering it away. There's no need for him to be awake yet.

Will's eyelids begin to droop and then the kettle whistles, startling him back to a facsimile of awareness. He adds the water to the pot, not worrying about warming it first.

Time counts down as he waits for the leaves to steep, their smell drifting throughout the house.

Startling back to himself, Will supposes the tea has had time to brew and steep. He picks up the pot and pouts himself a cupful.

Taking the cup and saucer, he steps past his sleeping dogs and out onto the freezing porch.

He enjoys the icy air and the hot caress of the tea.

Eyes fluttering closed, Will almost spills his cup. But then jerks awake and feels like, maybe he can sleep some more.

He creeps back to bed.

The house smells a little like Hannibal's kitchen now.

A small smile curls Will's lips as sleep claims him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. Kudos and comments appreciated.
> 
> I'm working on a much longer Hannigram fic at the moment for a bang, but needed to get this off my chest.
> 
> You can find me on Pillowfort at [dreamsfromthebunker](https://www.pillowfort.social/dreamsfromthebunker), Dreamwidth at [hit_the_books](https://hit-the-books.dreamwidth.org/), Tumblr at [hitthebooksposts](https://hitthebooksposts.tumblr.com/).


End file.
